UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA     AGRICULTURAL    EXPERIMENT  STATION 

BENJ.    IDE    WHEELER,    President 

COLLEGE   OF  AGRICULTURE 

Wfcfc6U6    VF     'uk«^l,^w,-'  vnc  THOMAS    FORSYTH    HUNT,    Dean  and  Director 

BERKELEY  h.  e.  van  norman,  vice-director  and  dean 

University  Farm  School 


CIRCULAR  No.  164 
April,  1917 


SMALL  FRUIT  CULTURE  IN  CALIFORNIA 

By  A.  H.  HENDRICKSON 
Instructor  in  Pomology 


INTRODUCTION 

Small  fruits,  especially  the  brambles  or  fruits  of  the  raspberry 
and  blackberry  type,  are  grown  in  nearly  all  parts  of  California.  The 
plantings  vary  from  the  few  bushes  or  plants  cultivated  for  home  use, 
to  plantations  in  which  several  hundred  acres  may  be  devoted  to  the 
production  of  enough  berries  to  supply  both  local  and  distant  markets 
with  fresh  fruit  and  to  allow  a  considerable  portion  of  the  surplus 
to  be  canned.  Nearly  all  of  the  different  kinds  of  small  fruits  have 
been  found  to  be  adapted  to  California  soil  and  climatic  conditions 
and,  although  some  of  the  members  of  this  class  of  fruits  cannot  be 
grown  successfully  on  a  commercial  scale  in  the  hot,  dry  sections 
of  the  state,  with  judicious  handling  they  may  often  be  made  to  thrive 
in  the  home  garden.  The  home  garden  can  be  made  to  supply  fresh 
berries  of  various  kinds  for  the  table  throughout  a  long  season. 

The  small  fruit  industry  presents  a  number  of  problems  not 
encountered  in  the  production  of  tree  fruits,  many  of  which  must 
be  solved  by  more  precise  methods  than  those  so  largely  used  by 
deciduous  fruit-growers.  Berries  are  a  soft,  perishable  product  and 
must  be  handled  accordingly;  the  bushes  are  short-lived,  shallow- 
rooted,  and  subject  to  injury  by  drouth.  On  the  other  hand,  if  prop- 
erly managed,  the  small  fruit  garden  or  the  commercial  berry  planta- 
tion can  be  made  to  yield  large  profits,  often  as  soon  as  a  year  or 
two  after  planting.  To  accomplish  the  best  results,  however,  pains- 
taking attention  must  be  paid  to  all  the  minor  details  connected  with 
the  production  and  marketing  of  the  crop.  Broadly  speaking,  this 
class  of  fruits  demands  the  personal  attention  of  the  owner  or  pro- 
prietor, and  very  often  the  greatest  success  is  obtained  when  prac- 


tically  all  the  work  can  be  done  by  the  members  of  the  immediate 
family. 

There  are  a  number  of  general  factors  involved  in  the  success  or 
failure  of  a  berry  plantation,  the  most  important  of  which  are  the 
following:  Accessibility  to  market;  labor;  location;  water-supply; 
care  or  management  of  the  planting.  Other  factors,  such  as  insects 
and  diseases,  pruning  methods  and  choice  of  varieties,  while  impor- 
tant, are  more  nearly  under  the  control  of  the  grower. 


Fig.  1. — Boy  from  orphanage  picking  loganberries.  The  summer  vacation 
renders  this  kind  of  labor  available  when  needed.  (Photograph  by  permission 
U.  S.  D.  A.) 


Because  the  crop  is  a  very  perishable  one  and  often  ripens  within 
a  comparatively  short  season,  the  small  fruit  plantation  must  have 
a  market  that  may  be  reached  quickly.  The  market  should  be  either 
within  easy  driving  distance  of  the  plantation  or  situated  on  a  rail- 
road, in  which  case  the  shipping  station  should  be  near  to  the  planta- 
tion. Jolting  over  rough  county  roads  in  a  wagon  or  auto-truck 
during  the  hot  portion  of  the  day  often  causes  berries,  especially  if 
over-ripe,  to  become  mushy  and  to  deteriorate  very  quickly.  The 
market  should  be  large  enough  to  use  the  fruit  brought  to  it  for  dis- 
posal without  danger  of  the  supply  exceeding  the  demand,  as  other- 


wise  the  price  received  for  the  product  will  be  reduced  below  the 
point  at  which  this  fruit  can  be  produced  profitably.  In  case  the 
near-by  markets  cannot  use  the  crop,  other  outlets  such  as  more 
distant  markets  or  a  cannery  must  be  sought. 

Picking  berries  is  slow,  tedious  work  and  the  result  of  a  day's 
labor  is  often  not  more  than  a  crate  or  two.  The  entire  patch  must 
be  picked  every  day  or  at  least  every  other  day,  at  the  height  of  the 
season,  to  insure  berries  of  a  uniform  degree  of  ripeness.     The  oper- 


Fig.  2. — Class  at  University  Farm,  Davis,  planting  strawberries  on  raised  beds. 


ation  requires  a  great  deal  of  stooping  and  reaching  for  the  fruit  near 
the  ground,  and  with  the  brambles,  the  picker  is  often  considerably 
scratched  by  the  prickers  on  the  plant  during  the  course  of  a  day's 
work.  Berries  are  usually  picked  on  a  piece-work  basis  and  a  com- 
paratively low  price  is  paid  for  each  quart  or  crate  picked.  For  these 
reasons,  the  largest  part  of  the  work  is  done  by  women  and  children 
(fig.  1)  or  such  itinerant  labor  as  may  be  found  during  the  season. 
Location  near  some  fairly  large  city  in  a  district  where  such  help  can 
be  obtained  is  absolutely  essential. 

The  choice  of  the  site  for  the  plantation  is  very  important.  A 
region  subject  to  late  spring  frosts  must  be  avoided.  Bottom  lands 
or  swales  into  which  cold  air  drains  from  the  higher  surrounding 


elevations  are  hazardous  because  of  the  danger  of  the  buds  or  flowers 
being  frozen.  The  site  should  be  chosen  to  allow  the  heavy,  cold,  air 
to  drain  away  from  the  plantation  to  lower  levels.  The  aspect  of  the 
plantation  may  influence  the  season  of  ripening  to  a  considerable 
extent.  With  small  fruits  a  warm  exposure  may  cause  the  fruit  to 
ripen  several  days  or  a  week  earlier  than  the  same  variety  planted  a 
few  hundred  yards  away  on  a  site  which  faces  in  another  direction. 
Earliness  is  usually  desirable  with  small  fruits  as  it  is  the  early  fruits 
that  command  the  best  prices. 

Small  fruits  belong  to  a  shallow-rooted  class  of  plants.  This  is 
especially  true  of  the  strawberry,  which  seldom  sends  its  roots  below 
fourteen  or  sixteen  inches.  Plants  of  this  type,  with  a  few  exceptions, 
are  not  adapted  to  sending  roots  to  a  great  depth  for  moisture,  hence 
the  available  water  in  the  soil,  whether  supplied  by  rains  or  by  irri- 
gation, must  be  carefully  investigated  before  planting.  There  must 
be  sufficient  moisture  in  the  soil  during  the  growing  season  to  keep  the 
plants  green  and  vigorous.  At  no  time  should  they  be  allowed  to  wilt 
or  show  signs  of  drouth.  Lack  of  moisture  is  shown  directly  by  weak- 
ness of  the  new  growth  and  indirectly  by  the  subsequent  smaller  crops 
during  the  succeeding  years.  With  a  few  notable  exceptions,  the 
small-fruit  sections  of  California  are  in  irrigated  districts.  In  sections 
where  irrigation  cannot  be  practiced,  the  soil  moisture  must  be  con- 
served by  frequent  shallow  cultivations.1 

To  a  great  extent  the  success  of  a  small-fruit  plantation  depends 
upon  the  care  given  it.  The  operations  necessary  to  the  production  of 
a  crop  of  this  class  of  fruits  require  more  hand  labor  of  an  irksome 
nature  than  do  those  necessary  for  the  tree  fruits.  The  plants  are 
small  and  set  close  together,  which  necessitates  much  hand  hoeing  in 
place  of  the  horse  cultivation  with  suffices  with  tree  fruits.  Weeds 
must  be  kept  down,  as  they  draw  upon  the  soil  moisture  in  the  area 
occupied  by  the  roots  of  the  plants  under  cultivation.  Operations  of 
planting,  pruning,  and  trellising  require  a  great  deal  of  hand  labor 
because  of  the  low-growing  nature  of  the  plants,  and  because  of  the 
large  number  of  plants  that  are  planted  per  acre.  Tree  fruits  often 
produce  fairly  satisfactory  crops  when  grown  under  the  more  or 
less  hap-hazard  methods  so  commonly  followed  by  deciduous  fruit 
growers,  and  the  evil  effects  of  the  lack  of  pruning  or  spraying  majr 
not  become  apparent  for  a  few  years;  but  with  small  fruits  this  is 
not  the  case.  A  berry  plantation  neglected  for  one  season,  as  a  rule, 
produces  a  much  smaller  crop  the  following  year.    On  the  other  hand, 


i  See  * '  Irrigation  Practice  in  Growing  Small  Fruits  in  California, ' '  by  Wells 
A.  Hutchins,  Cal.  Agr.  Exp.  Sta.  Cir.  no.  154. 


this  type  of  fruits  responds  quickly  and  readily  to  proper  pruning, 
thorough  cultivation  and  careful  irrigation. 

SOILS 

The  brambles,  i.e.,  blackberries,  raspberries,  dewberries,  and  logan- 
berries, are  adapted  to  being  grown  on  a  wide  range  of  soils.  Success 
with  this  class  of  fruits  depends  more  on  the  skill  of  the  individual 
grower  and  other  factors,  such  as  site,  suitable  labor  supply  and  acces- 


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Fig.  3. — Strawberry  plant,  variety,  Oregon,  grown  under  level  culture  system. 


sibility  to  market,  than  to  the  choice  of  any  particular  soil.  However, 
most  of  the  successful  plantings  are  found  on  soils  ranging  from  sandy 
loam  to  clay  loam  types.  As  these  plants  are  deep-rooted  the  depth 
of  the  soil  must  be  given  special  consideration.  Strawberries  thrive 
on  soils  of  the  clay  loam  type,  but  are  also  found  growing  with  con- 
siderable success  on  sandy  loams  and  on  the  loose  gravelly  soils  of 
some  of  the  lower  foothill  districts.  In  general,  the  lighter  types  of 
soils  are  easier  to  handle,  but  the  fruit  is  often  small  if  not  given 
proper  cultivation  and  irrigation,  while,  on  the  other  hand,  the  heavier 
types  of  soils,  though  harder  to  cultivate,  produce  large  crops  of  fruit. 
Currants  and  gooseberries  are  two  fruits  generally  adapted  to  the 


heavier  soils  used  for  the  growing  of  fruit,  and  often  grow  well  on 
soil  which  is  wet  for  a  considerable  portion  of  the  year. 

For  all  small  fruits,  it  is  desirable  to  have  the  soil  well  supplied 
with  humus,  for  ease  in  cultivation  and  conservation  of  moisture. 
This  material  is  best  supplied  by  plowing  under  cover  crops  or  barn- 
yard manure. 

PEOPAGATION 

One  of  the  factors  that  have  an  important  effect  on  success  in 
growing  small  fruits  is  the  ease  and  readiness  with  which  a  new 
planting  may  be  started.  New  plants  may  be  obtained  from  older 
plantations  with  but  little  trouble,  or  they  may  be  purchased  from 
a  nursery  at  comparatively  low  prices.  This  factor  is  of  special  sig- 
nificance to  the  man  of  limited  means  just  starting  to  grow  fruit. 
Many  of  the  brambles  propagate  naturally  and  abundantly  of  their 
own  accord,  while  strawberries  start  annually  more  new  plants  than 
should  be  allowed  to  grow  if  best  results  are  to  be  obtained  from  the 
plantation.  Currants  and  gooseberries  root  readily  from  cuttings. 
The  result  is  that  new  plantings  may  be  set  out,  using  older  plantings 
already  in  existence  as  a  source  of  supply,  with  no  cost  except  for 
the  labor  of  collecting  and  setting  out  new  plants. 

Blackberries  and  red  raspberries  may  be  propagated  either  by  root  cuttings 
or  by  suckers.  These  suckers,  which  appear  wherever  a  root  has  been  cut  or 
injured,  may  be  dug  up  and  used  as  new  plants,  care  being  taken  to  secure  a 
large  portion  of  the  roots.  This  method  of  securing  new  plants  is  very  commonly 
used  in  this  state  and  has  proved  to  be  satisfactory  in  every  respect.  The  method 
of  securing  plants  by  root  cuttings,  which  is  the  usual  procedure  in  nurseries,  is 
to  dig  up  a  number  of  old  plants  and  cut  the  roots  into  short  pieces,  three  inches 
or  less  in  length.  These  roots  are  sown  in  rows  in  carefully  prepared  nursery 
soil.  If  not  allowed  to  dry  out  and  if  given  careful  cultivation,  they  produce 
plants  large  enough  to  set  out  in  one  year  from  the  time  of  making  the  cuttings. 

Dewberries,  loganberries  (including  the  Phenomenal)  and  the  black  raspberries 
are  usually  propagated  by  tip  layering.  The  method  of  obtaining  plants  in  this 
way  is  to  cover  the  end  of  the  canes  with  a  shovelful  of  earth,  during  the  latter 
part  of  the  summer.  The  portion  of  the  shoot  which  is  covered  sends  down  roots 
from  the  nodes,  and  forms  a  plant  which  is  ready  for  planting  the  following 
spring. 

New  plants  of  currants  and  gooseberries  are  usually  obtained  from  cuttings. 
These  fruits  may  also  be  propagated  by  mound  layering.  Cuttings  are  made 
about  seven  to  ten  inches  long  from  matured  or  ripened  one-year-old  wood.  They 
may  be  cut  at  any  time  during  the  dormant  season,  and  set  out  immediately 
in  rows  or  stored  in  moist  sand  in  a  cellar  or  other  cool  storage  place  until  spring. 
The  cuttings  are  planted  in  nursery  rows  with  one  or  two  buds  above  the  sur- 
face, care  being  exercised  to  see  that  the  soil  is  firmly  pressed  around  the  portion 
which  is  buried.     The  resulting  plants  are  grown  in  the  nursery  for  one  or  two 


years.     It  is  the  practice  in  some  sections  of  California  to  set  these  cuttings  out 
in  permanent  form,  instead  of  growing  plants  in  the  nursery  row  for  a  year. 

Strawberries  propagate  by  means  of  runners  or  offsets.  During  the  growing 
season,  the  old  established  strawberry  plants  send  out  in  all  directions  slender 
stems  eight  to  fourteen  or  sixteen  inches  long.  Each  alternate  node,  if  in  con- 
tact with  the  ground,  takes  root  and  forms  a  new  plant.  The  roots  become  estab- 
lished in  the  ground,  and  later,  the  slender  stem  connecting  the  old  plant  and 
the  young,  dies,  leaving  the  new  plants  independent  and  in  turn  ready  to  send 
out  runners.  These  young  plants,  before  they  have  produced  fruit,  are  the  most 
desirable    ones    for    planting    in    new    plantations.      The    ease    of    gathering    new 


Fig.  4. — Method  of  growing  strawberries  on  raised  beds.     Strawberries  are  often 
grown  as  an  intercrop  in  orchards  until  the  trees  come  into  bearing. 

plants  should  not  lead  to  carelessness  in  the  matter  of  selecting  the  best  stock 
available,  and  certain  precautions  should  be  observed  in  collecting  new  plants 
from  old  plantations.  Plants  from  diseased  or  insect-infested  areas  should  be 
discarded  and  only  clean,  healthy  ones  chosen.  Carelessness  in  the  choice  of 
plants  often  leads  to  the  introduction  of  diseases  and  insects  into  sections  that 
may  previously  have  been  clean. 


PLANTING 

The  brambles  and  the  bush  fruits  are  planted  so  they  may  be 
easily  cultivated  in  one  or  two  directions.  They  are  planted  in  hills 
or  rows  to  conform  to  the  growth  of  the  plant  and  the  nature  of  the 


8 

site  upon  which  they  are  set.  Strawberries  are  usually  set  in  rows 
and  cultivated  in  one  direction  only,  relying  on  the  use  of  the  hand 
hoe  for  stirring  the  soil  between  the  plants  in  the  row.  The  planting 
distance  is  governed  by  the  ultimate  size  of  the  plants  and  convenience 
in  cultivating  and  picking.  Whenever  practicable,  these  fruits  should 
be  planted  early  in  the  season,  preferably  not  later  than  February. 
A  larger  number  of  plants  survive  when  planted  early  than  is  the  case 
where  the  planting  is  delayed  until  March  or  April.  Gooseberries  and 
currants  start  to  grow  very  early  in  the  season  and,  hence,  should  be 
planted  in  the  autumn.  Strawberries  are  planted  in  the  spring 
months  or  during  the  fall  and  early  winter. 

The  preparation  of  the  soil  for  the  new  berry  plantations  should 
be  as  thorough  as  possible.  On  account  of  the  shallowness  of  the  feed- 
ing roots  of  small  fruits,  the  effort  expended  in  preparing  the  soil 
before  planting  will  be  repaid  by  the  vigor  and  thrift  of  the  young 
plants.  The  soil  should  be  plowed  deeply  in  time  to  allow  the  weeds 
or  cover  crops  to  decompose  before  the  plants  are  set  out,  and  the  soil 
should  be  as  fine  and  friable  as  it  is  possible  to  make  it  by  frequent 
harrowings.  A  mellow  soil,  free  from  lumps,  enables  the  young  plants 
to  become  established  quickly,  and  a  larger  percentage  live  through 
the  first  year  than  is  the  case  when  the  soil  is  carelessly  prepared. 

Blackberries  should  be  set  out  during  February  or  March  in  order  to  receive 
the  benefit  of  the  late  rains.  The  plants  ordinarily  require  but  little  care  in 
planting.  The  long,  slender  roots  are  cut  off,  and  the  plants  are  set  at  the  same 
depth  they  have  been  grown  in  the  nursery.  A  hole  is  opened  by  a  spade,  the 
roots  are  spread  out  in  a  fan  shape  and  the  earth  is  crowded  firmly  around  them 
so  that  all  portions  of  the  root-system  come  into  immediate  contact  with  the 
soil.  The  old  stem  is  usually  left  as  a  marker  or  guide  in  cultivating  before  the 
new  shoots,  which  usually  appear  from  the  crown,  can  be  seen.  Instead  of  opening 
each  hole  with  a  spade  or  shovel,  a  furrow  may  be  plowed  along  the  row  and 
the  plants  placed  along  the  landside  and  handled  in  much  the  same  way  as  that 
just  described.  Blackberries  of  an  upright-growing  habit  such  as  the  Lawton 
are  usually  planted  in  rows  six  to  eight  feet  apart  with  the  plants  four  to  six 
feet  apart  in  the  rows.  If  planted  in  hills,  they  are  usually  set  six  to  eight 
feet  apart  each  way.  The  trailing  varieties,  like  the  Mammoth,  are  planted  in 
rows  about  eight  feet  apart  and  eight  to  sixteen  feet  apart  in  the  rows.  Logan- 
berries, Phenomenal  loganberries,  and  dewberries  are  trailing  in  habit  and  are 
spaced  about  the  same  as  the  Mammoth. 

Raspberries. — No  definite  standard  planting  distance  can  be  set  for  rasp- 
berries. The  distances  vary  according  to  the  variety  and  the  district  where 
grown.  If  planted  in  hills,  the  plants  are  from  three  to  six  feet  apart  each  way. 
If  planted  in  rows,  the  rows  are  ordinarily  six  to  eight  feet  apart  and  the  rows 
themselves  may  be  a  solid  mass  of  plants  or  may  have  the  separate  plants  from 
one  and  one-half  to  four  or  six  feet  apart.  Ordinarily  the  black  raspberry  requires 
more  room  than  do  the  red  varieties  because  it  is  more  spreading  in  nature. 


Currants  and  Gooseberries. — When  planted  in  rows,  currants  and  gooseberries 
are  planted  two  and  one-half  to  five  feet  apart  in  the  rows  and  the  rows  are  five 
to  six  feet  apart.  In  hills,  the  plants  are  set  on  the  square  system,  five  or  six 
feet  apart  each  way. 

Strawberries. — Strawberries  are  planted  according  to  different  methods  that 
are  influenced  by  the  irrigation  practice  in  a  given  district.  The  necessity  for 
frequent  irrigation  has  led  to  the  adoption  of  a  number  of  cultural  methods  that 
will  be  discussed  briefly  in  the  following  paragraphs.  As  a  rule,  strawberries  in 
California  are  grown  in  rows  rather  than  in  hills,  and  greater  acreages  are  grown 
in  "raised  beds"  than  are  grown  in  "level  culture." 


Fig.  5.— strawberries  being  grown  as  an  intercrop  in  a  young  plum  orchard,  under 

level  culture  system. 

r 

The  raised  bed  (fig.  2)  differs  from  level  culture  in  that  the  plants  are  grown 
on  a  wide  row  slightly  raised  above  the  intervening  spaces  which  are  used  for 
irrigating,  cultivating,  and  as  paths  for  the  pickers  to  walk  upon.  The  sunken 
spaces  in.  the  raised-bed  system  are  permanent  during  trnS  continuation  of  the  plan- 
tation, while  the  irrigation  furrows  in  the  level-culture  system  are  made  for  each 
irrigation  or  at  the  beginning  of  each  season.  The  width  of  the  beds  and  the  fur- 
rows vary  greatly  in  the  different  sections.  The  type  of  soil  influences  the  width 
of  the  bed;  thus,  if  lateral  percolation  is  rapid  and  the  entire  bed  is  moistened 
quickly,  the  width  of  the  bed  may  be  greater  than  in  soils  where  the  water  soaks 
in  slowly.  The  common  width  of  the  raised  bed  and  its  adjacent  furrow  is  four 
or  five  feet;  the  bed  itself  occupying  considerably  more  than  half  of  this  width. 
The  beds  are  raised  from  three  to  six  inches  above  the  furrows  and  are  200 
to  300  feet  long. 


10 

Iii  sections  where  the  beds  are  narrow,  plants  are  set  out  in  a  single  row  in 
the  center  of  the  bed  from  eight  or  ten  inches  to  twenty-four  inches  apart,  depend- 
ing on  the  rate  at  which  the  new  runners  are  produced  and  the  number  of  plants 
available  at  the  time  of  planting.  Eunners  or  offsets  are  allowed  to  take  root 
in  the  row  itself  and  not  to  spread  laterally,  the  aim  being  to  maintain  the  width 
of  the  row  at  ten  or  twelve  inches.  Eunners  spreading  laterally  are  either  cut 
off  or  moved  to  the  center  of  the  row.  Where  the  beds  are  wider  and  the  wide 
"matted  row,"  as  it  is  called,  is  desired,  the  plants  are  set  out  in  a  double  row 
(fig.  2),  the  rows  being  eighteen  to  twenty-four  inches  apart,  and  four  to  eight 
inches  from  the  edge  of  the  bed.  The  plants  are  allowed  to  spread  toward  the 
edge  of  the  bed  and  toward  the  center,  forming  a  solid  mat  of  plants.  A  varia- 
tion of  the  matted-row  system  is  to  provide  a  rather  narrow  but  deep  furrow  for 
irrigation  extending  for  the  full  length  of  the  row  in  the  center  of  the  bed.  The 
paths,  in  the  latter  case,  are  not  sunk  below  the  beds,  but  maintained  on  the 
same  level.  When  level  culture  (fig.  3)  is  practiced,  the  plants  are  set  out  ten 
to  fourteen  or  sixteen  inches  apart  in  the  row,  and  maintained  as  separate  hills, 
or  allowed  to  form  solid  rows.  Irrigation  water  is  applied  by  shallow  furrows 
made  as  close  to  the  rows  of  plants  as  possible,  whenever  needed. 

The  raised  beds  can  be  irrigated  more  conveniently  than  can  the  level-culture 
plantings,  as  the  ditches  are  permanent  and  are  not  destroyed  by  cultivation.  Fre- 
quently, however,  water  is  applied  without  any  attempt  to  cultivate,  and  the 
result  is  a  hard-baked  path  between  the  rows.  The  level-culture  system  is  adapted 
to  thoroughness  in  cultivation  and  stirring  of  the  soil  between  the  plants. 

Strawberries  require  greater  care  in  planting  than  do  most  of  the  small  fruits. 
Only  young  plants,  having  light-colored  roots,  should  be  used;  the  older  plants 
having  dark-brown  roots  should  be  discarded.  The  plants  must  not  be  allowed 
to  dry  out  during  the  planting  operations,  but  should  preferably  be  wrapped  in 
wet  burlap*  or  kept  in  pails  of  water.  The  outside  whorl  of  leaves  should  be 
removed  when  the  plant  is  set  out,  leaving  only  one  or  two  of  the  small  center 
leaves.  The  plant  must  be  set  firmly  at  the  same  depth  at  which  it  had  been 
growing.  If  set  too  high,  or  if  the  soil  is  not  sufficiently  firmed,  the  young  plants 
will  dry  out  and  die;  and  if  set  too  low  and  the  crown  of  the  plant  is  covered 
with  moist  soil,  the  plant  quickly  rots. 

CULTIVATION 

Shallow  cultivation  should  be  the  rule  with  all  small  fruits.  The 
feeding  roots  are  comparatively  near  to  the  surface  and  are  destroyed 
by  deep  cultivation.  With  the  brambles,  a  great  many  roots  are 
broken  by  deep  cultivation,  and  this  practice  results  in  producing  a 
large  number  of  suckers  in  the  middle  of  the  row  which  must  be  cut 
out  with  a  hoe.  In  other  cases,  an  entire  plant  is  often  pulled  out  by 
catching  the  cultivator  under  one  of  the  main  roots.  The  land  should 
be  plowed  in  the  spring,  as  shallow  as  possible  and  still  turn  over  a 
clean  furrow  and  completely  cover  the  trash  or  cover  crop  that  may 
be  on  the  ground.  The  plowing  should  be  followed  by  frequent 
shallow  stirring,  preferably  with  a  light,  fine-toothed  implement. 

Blackberries,  Loganberries,  Currants,  and  Gooseberries  may  be  plowed  deeper 
toward  the  middle  of  the  row  and  shallower  when  close  to  the  plants.     If  the 


11 


furrows  are  thrown  away  from  the  row  it  is  much  easier  to  hoe  out  any  weeds 
that  may  be  growing  in  the  row  itself,  while,  on  the  other  hand,  if  the  furrow 
is  thrown  toward  the  row,  these  weeds  are  covered  up,  only  to  appear  later  in 
the  season.  Unevenness,  due  to  leaving  the  back-farrow  or  dead  furrow  in 
the  middle  of  the  row  is  easily  remedied  by  a  few  cultivations.  Another  plan, 
adopted  by  many  growers,  is  to  harrow  or  disc  the  plantation  instead  of  plowing. 
This  plan  works  satisfactorily  if  done  before  the  cover  crop  has  reached  a  size 
where  it  can  only  be  covered  by  plowing.  If  the  rows  are  close  together,  the 
plan  of  cultivating  or  discing  to  break  up  the  soil  is  usually  followed  if  the 
plantation  is   to   be   continued  through   the   following  year   and   not   removed   to 


Fig.  6. — Wires  attached  to   short  cross-bars  are  used  to  support  heavy  trailing 
varieties  of  blackberries.      (Photograph   by   permission   U.  S.  D.  A.) 


make  room  for  another  crop.     Clean  cultivation  should  be  practiced  throughout 
the  season  until  the  cover  crops  are  sown  or  the  fall  rains  begin. 

Strawberries  are  usually  grown  on  permanent  beds  raised  slightly  above  the 
intervening  spaces  (fig.  4).  The  method  of  starting  spring  cultivation  in  this 
case  is  usually  to  break  the  ground  with  a  one-horse  cultivator.  If  grown  under 
the  level  culture  system  (fig.  5),  one  or  two  shallow  furrows  may  be  plowed 
between  the  rows,  turning  the  furrows  toward  the  middle.  More  often,  however, 
the  ground  is  broken  with  a  single  cultivator.  In  case  the  strawberries  are 
mulched  with  straw  or  other  mulching  material,  no  cultivation  is  attempted.  The 
spaces  between  the  plants  not  covered  by  them  should  be  hoed,  to  break  up  the 
crust  and  to  keep  down  the  weeds.  Cultivations  should  continue  throughout  the 
season  to  keep  the  plants  in  thrifty  condition. 


12 


PEUNING 

The  pruning  of  small  fruits  cannot  be  neglected  for  even  a  single 
season.  Strawberries,  which  do  not  produce  hard  or  woody  stems 
cannot  be  considered  as  coming  under. this  statement,  their  fruitful- 
ness  in  a  measure  depending  upon  the  number  of  runners  allowed  to 
be  produced  from  the  old  plants;  hence,  they  need  regular  attention 
as  much  as  do  the  bush  fruits.  The  brambles,  which  include  all  small 
fruits  in  this  circular  with  the  exception  of  currants,  gooseberries  and 
strawberries,  produce  fruit  usually  but  once  on  a  cane  of  one  season's 
growth.  There  are,  however,  a  few  varieties  of  this  class  of  fruits  like 
the  Himalaya  and  Evergreen  which  have  perennial  canes.  The  canes 
which  are  necessary  for  the  bearing  of  the  crops  are  produced  during 
one  season,  flower  and  bear  fruit  during  the  next,  and  must  then  be 
removed.  As  soon  as  they  have  borne  a  crop  of  fruit  their  usefulness 
ends,  and  they  usually  die  before  winter.  The  aim  of  the  grower  in 
pruning  should  be  to  accomplish  two  things :  First,  to  remove  the  old 
canes  which  are  of  no  more  value  to  the  plant ;  and  second,  to  provide 
a  supply  of  new  shoots  for  bearing  fruit  the  following  season.  The 
care  of  strawberries  and  the  pruning  of  currants  and  gooseberries  are 
different  from  the  general  directions  given  above  and  will  be  discussed 
in  the  paragraphs  devoted  to  these  fruits. 

Blackberries. — Blackberries  are  pruned  in  such  a  way  that  they  may  be  tied 
to  wire  trellises  (fig.  6),  tied  to  upright  stakes  (fig.  7),  or  trained  to  grow  upright 
without  support  of  any  kind.  The  varieties  which  trail,  or  produce  long  runners 
that  naturally  lie  on  the  ground,  are  trained  to  wires  stretched  on  posts,  and  the 
stronger  upright-growing  varieties  are  tied  to  stakes  or  pruned  short  so  that 
they  are  able  to  support  their  own  weight.  The  length  of  the  canes  which  are 
left  to  produce  the  following  season 's  crop  varies  considerably  with  the  variety 
and  with  the  practice  found  to  give  the  best  results  in  different  sections.  Strong- 
growing  varieties  like  the  Lawton  are  usually  pruned  back  to  three  or  four 
feet.  Trailing  varieties  like  the  Mammoth  are  cut  back  leaving  eight  to  fourteen 
or  sixteen  feet,  depending  on  how  far  apart  the  plants  are  set  in  the  row.  It  is 
a  good  practice  to  tip  back  or  cut  off  the  ends  of  the  growing  shoots  during 
the  summer  as  soon  as  they  have  reached  the  desired  length.  This  tipping  back 
tends  to  induce  lateral  branches  to  grow  and  thus  increases  the  fruit-bearing  area 
of  the  plant. 

New  canes  to  take  the  place  of  the  old  ones  removed  after  fruiting  come  up 
as  suckers  around  the  crown  of  the  plant.  More  of  these  suckers  are  produced 
than  should  be  allowed  to  grow.  For  most  varieties  from  four  to  seven  new 
canes  should  be  left  to  each  hill  and  the  remainder  cut  off  close  to  the  ground. 
The  healthy  and  vigorous  canes  should  be  left  and  the  small  or  inferior  ones 
removed.     This  pruning  should  be  done  during  the  winter  season. 

Trailing  varieties  are  trained  to  one  or  two  wire  trellises.  When  one  wire  is 
used,  it  is  stretched  along  stakes  in  the  row  at  a  height  of  two  and  one-half  or 


13 


three  feet  above  the  ground,  and  the  canes  are  fastened  to  it  by  winding  them 
around  the  wire  or  tying  them  to  it  (fig.  8).  The  new  canes  which  grow  during 
the  season  are  allowed  to  lie  on  the  ground  under  the  row  during  the  growing 
season.  During  the  winter  pruning  the  old  canes  are  cut  and  pulled  off  the 
wire  and  the  new  canes  are  brought  up  and  tied  in  their  place.  Sometimes  two 
wires  are  used,  the  lower  one  is  two  to  three  feet  from  the  ground  and  the 
upper  wire  one  and  one-half  to  two  and  one-half  feet  above  the  lower  one.  The 
young  canes  may  be  trained  to  the  upper  wire,  and  the  bearing  canes  to  the 
lower,  or  the  practice  may  be  reversed.  Loganberries  (including  the  Phenomenal 
variety),  and  dewberries  are  pruned  and  trained  in  the  same  manner  as  trailing 


Fig.  7. — Upright  varieties  of  blackberries  are  usually  tied  to  stakes.     (Photograph 
by  permission  U.  S.  D.  A.) 


blackberries.  The  general  practice  in  this  state  has  been  to  train  these  varieties 
on  a  single  wire,  extending  the  canes  along  the  wire  either  in  one  or  both  direc- 
tions from  the  crown  of  the  plant. 

Raspberries. — Both  the  red  and  the  black  varieties  of  raspberries  are  for  the 
most  part  trained  to  stand  alone.  In  some  cases,  when  varieties  are  drooping  in 
nature  or  a  rank,  heavy  growth  is  produced,  posts  are  set  along  the  row  and  short 
cross-arms  eighteen  or  twenty  inches  in  length  are  nailed  at  a  convenient  distance 
from  the  ground,  usually  two  and  one-half  to  three  and  one-half  feet.  Wires 
are  stretched  from  post  to  post  at  the  end  of  these  cross-arms.  The  plants  are 
pruned  so  as  to  grow  up  between  these  wrires  and  are  supported  by  them  and, 
as  a  rule,  no  additional  tying  is  considered  necessary.  Blackberries  may  also 
be  trained  to  this  system   (fig.  9).     By  means  of  short  cross-pieces  fastened  to 


14 


the  wires,  a  number  of  different  methods  of  training  may  be  devised  to  suit  local 
conditions. 

Raspberries  produce  their  fruit  in  the  same  manner  as  do  the  blackberries, 
hence  the  old  canes  must  be  removed  after  fruiting.  The  plants  are  thinned  to 
three  to  six  or  seven  canes  to  the  hill  and  cut  off  about  three  to  four  feet  above 
the  ground,  depending  upon  the  nature  of  the  growth  made  by  the  plant  and 
the  training  system  followed.  Weak-growing  varieties  without  supports  must 
be  cut  back  more  heavily  than  the  more  sturdy  sorts.  Red  raspberries  produce 
large  numbers  of  suckers  which  spring  up  from  the  roots,  and,  unless  it  is  de- 
sired to  have  a  more  or  less  solid  row  (fig.  10),  these  suckers  must  be  grubbed 
out  with  a  hoe,  and  the  plants  maintained  in  single  units. 


Fig.  8. — Loganberries  tied  to  a  single  wire  trellis.     The  young  shoots  are  allowed 
to  grow  on  the  ground  under  the  row  during  the  first  season. 


Currants  and  Gooseberries. — These  fruits  must  be  treated  in  an  entirely  differ- 
ent manner  from  that  described  for  the  brambles.  The  growing  habit  and  method 
of  bearing  fruit  of  these  two  kinds  of  berries  must  be  carefully  studied  in  order 
to  prune  them  correctly.  The  bushes  of  the  currant  and  gooseberry  are  more 
compact  in  form  and  are  treated  more  like  a  tree  fruit  than  are  the  brambles. 
New  wood  is  produced  both  by  the  branching  of  existing  limbs  and  by  suckers 
which  come  up  from  the  root.  These  suckers,  however,  come  up  near  the  crown 
of  the  plant,  and  not  promiscuously  from  the  roots  as  in  the  case  of  some  of  the 
raspberries.  The  larger  portion  of  the  fruit  is  borne  from  short  spurs  on  the 
two  and  three-year-old  wood,  a  smaller  amount  being  produced  on  the  four  and 
five-year-old  wood. 


15 


DURATION  OF  PLANTATION 

Small  fruits  come  into  bearing  early,  reach  their  maximum  pro- 
duction in  from  three  to  give  years,  and  then  begin  to  decline.  Very 
few  of  the  bush  fruits  remain  profitable  after  eight  or  ten  years,  while 
strawberry  plantations  should  be  removed  after  the  fourth  or  fifth 
season.  The  intense  cultivation  given  this  class  of  fruits,  as  a  rule, 
quickly  exhausts  the  humus  in  the  soil,  leaving  it  in  a  poor  physical 
condition.    In  addition  to  the  foregoing  reason,  the  presence  of  one  or 


Fig.  9. — Trailing  varieties  of  blackberries  are  trained  to  grow  on  wire  trellises. 
(Photograph  by  permission  U.  S.  D.  A.) 

more  diseases  in  a  field  often  makes  it  advisable  to  plow  up  and  burn 
all  of  the  old  plants  and  start  a  new  planting  rather  than  to  attempt 
to  eradicate  the  trouble  in  the  existing  plantation. 

Blackberries  and  raspberries  should  produce  a  few  berries  the 
second  season  after  planting,  reach  their  maximum  production  in  from 
three  to  five  years,  and  should  be  removed  in  from  seven  to  ten  years, 
according  to  the  character  of  the  soil  and  the  care  given  the  plants. 
Loganberries  often  produce  fairly  heavy  crops  the  second  season  after 
planting  and  remain  profitable  a  number  of  years.  Currants  and 
gooseberries  ordinarily  do  not  produce  crops  until  the  third  year,  are 
at  their  best  from  the  third  to  the  sixth  year,  and  should  be  removed 


16 

not  later  than  the  ninth  or  tenth  year.  Strawberries  normally  pro- 
duce their  largest  crops  the  second  year,  and  should  be  removed  after 
the  fourth  or  fifth  season. 

BERRIES  AS  INTERCROPS 

Because  of  the  fact  that  berries  provide  a  source  of  immediate 
income  and  occupy  the  soil  for  a  limited  length  of  time,  they  are  used 
considerably  as  intercrops  in  orchards  (figs.  4,  5,  8).  If  properly 
managed,  no  injury  to  the  trees  results,  and  the  grower  has  a  source 
of  revenue  until  the  trees  come  into  bearing.  The  chief  danger  from 
using  berries  as  an  intercrop  in  young  orchards  is  that  the  welfare 
of  the  permanent  planting  may  be  forgotten  in  the  effort  to  produce 
one  more  crop  after  the  bushes  should  be  removed.  Examples  of 
poorly  pruned,  stunted  trees  are  to  be  found  in  every  section  where 
berries  have  been  used  as  intercrops.  The  care  of  the  intercrop  of 
berries  should  not  interfere  with  the  cultivation,  pruning,  spraying, 
or  general  care  of  the  trees;  hence,  where  it  is  impossible  to  care 
properly  for  both  the  berries  and  the  trees,  the  trees,  rather  than  the 
temporary  berry  plants,  should  be  given  the  proper  attention. 

FERTILIZERS 

Berries,  being  shallow-rooted,  remove  a  great  quantity  of  plant 
food  from  the  surface  layers  of  the  soil,  and  this  drain  must  be  re- 
plenished by  the  addition  of  materials  containing  the  elements  essen- 
tial to  plant  growth.  One  of  the  best  fertilizers  that  can  be  used  for 
this  class  of  fruits  is  an  annual  application  of  well-rotted  barnyard 
manure.  Complete  commercial  fertilizers,  or  those  which  contain 
potash,  phosphoric  acid  and  nitrogen,  can  also  be  used  successfully, 
although  caution  is  advised  in  the  application  of  any  commercial 
product  which  contains  a  high  percentage  of  quickly  available  nitro- 
gen, because  of  the  fact  that  this  element  often  stimulates  leaf  produc- 
tion and  fruit-bearing  is  lessened.  The  use  of  nitrogen  is  said  to 
produce  soft  fruit  that  does  not  stand  shipping.  This  element,  how- 
ever, may  be  added  to  the  soil  by  the  use  of  leguminous  cover  crops, 
such  as  vetch  or  bur  clover,  without  as  much  danger  of  stimulating 
the  vegetative  vigor  of  the  canes,  with  the  added  physical  benefit  of 
the  organic  matter  which  is  incorporated  in  the  soil  at  the  same  time. 

INSECTS  AND  DISEASES 
Small  fruits  are  not  seriously  troubled  by  insects  or  diseases.    The 
heavy   annual   pruning   to   which   they   are   all   subjected    (with   the 


17 

exception  of  the  strawberry),  in  which  the  old  wood  and  such  new 
shoots  that  may  show  signs  of  disease  or  insect  injury  are  removed, 
serves  to  hold  these  troubles  in  check.  The  comparatively  frequent 
removal  of  the  plantation  also  serves  to  prevent  the  permanent  in- 
festation of  a  given  piece  of  ground.  In  many  cases,  it  is  cheaper  to 
pull  out  the  old  plants  and  reset  with  healthy  ones  in  a  new  location 
than  it  is  to  combat  insects  or  fungous  diseases  by  spraying  or  by 
other  preventive  measures. 

Brambles. — The  most  serious  disease  of  the  brambles  with  which  the  grower 
must  contend,  is  the  crown-gall  or  root-knot.     This  is  a  bacterial  disease  forming 


">,**:*:-    ''  '^           HIV 
\, :»■■■■■■■■> 

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.     .               imi"!  «   ■'■».         ^sm-mv 

Fig.  10. — Easpberries  are  often  grown  in  solid  rows.  The  plants  are  either 
pruned  to  grow  upright  without  support,  or  are  fastened  to  wires  as  shown  in  the 
illustration.      (Photograph  by  permission  U.  S.  D.  A.) 


a  warty  growth  on  the  roots  and  ultimately  causing  the  death  of  the  plants. 
This  disease  can  only  be  held  in  check  by  planting  clean  stock  when  setting  out 
new  plantations  and  by  removing  and  burning  old  plants  which  are  infected 
in  the  older  plantings.  During  some  seasons  the  leaves  of  nearly  all  varieties 
of  blackberries  and  raspberries  are  affected  with  blackberry  rust,  which  forms 
reddish  pustules  on  the  under  surface,  or  with  leaf-spot,  which  forms  small 
brownish  spots  which  later  drop  out.  The  remedy  for  both  diseases  is  to  cut 
out  the  infected  shoots  or  to  spray  with  Bordeaux  mixture  when  the  disease  is 
first  noticed. 


18 

Currants  and  Gooseberries. — Currants  and  gooseberries  are  troubled  with 
mildew,  which  forms  a  whitish  powdery  growth  on  the  new  leaves  and  shoots, 
reducing  the  vigor  of  the  plantings  and  ultimately  affecting  the  size  of  the 
crop.  This  disease  is  usually  controlled  by  dusting  the  plants  several  times 
during  the  early  part  of  the  season  with  flowers  of  sulphur,  or  by  spraying  with 


Fig.  11. — The  twenty-drawer  chest  used  in  California  for  local  shipments  of  small 
fruits.     Each  drawer  holds  two  large,  or  six  small  cups.      (See  fig.  12.) 


Bordeaux  mixture  as  soon  as  the  mildew  appears.  These  two  plants  are  also 
injured  by  the  work  of  the  currant  borer.  This  insect  works  in  the  heart-wood 
of  the  branches  or  stem  of  the  plant,  which  it  either  kills  or  injures  to  such  an 
extent  that  these  parts  break  down  under  the  weight  of  the  crop  of  fruit.  The 
only  remedy  is  to  watch  carefully  for  its  work  and  remove  all  infested  parts  when 
pruning. 


19 

Strawberries. — The  most  serious  disease  of  strawberries  is  leaf-spot.  This 
disease  causes  irregular  spots  on  the  leaves  and,  in  serious  cases,  the  crop  is 
greatly  reduced.  The  plants  should  be  sprayed  with  Bordeaux  mixture  before 
or  just  after  blossoming.  In  badly  infected  areas,  the  plants  should  be  mowed 
close  to  the  ground  and  the  leaves  burned. 

Information  regarding  the  insect  pests  or  diseases  will  be  furnished  by  the 
California  Experiment  Station  upon  request.  A  description  of  the  trouble  and 
a  sample  of  the  affected  leaves  or  branches  should  be  sent  for  identification. 


Fig.  12. — Drawers  from  fruit  chest  showing  the  two  sizes  of  cups  generally  used. 
(Photograph  by  permission  U.  S.  D.  A.) 


HARVESTING 

Berries  are  the  most  perishable  fruits  that  are  now  being  grown 
on  a  commercial  scale,  and  cannot  be  handled  in  the  same,  way  as 
even  the  tender  kinds  of  tree  fruits.  The  length  of  time  between 
reaching  a  stage  of  maturity  when  they  are  of  highest  quality  for 
table  use  and  when  they  begin  to  deteriorate  is  very  short.  The  per- 
ishable nature  of  this  class  of  fruit  necessitates  extremely  careful 
handling,  prompt  shipping,  and  immediate  consumption.  No  class 
of  fruit  has  better  flavor  or  quality  when  at  the  proper  stage  of  ripe- 
ness, or  decays  more  quickly  when  not  properly  handled. 

Brambles. — The  brambles  should  be  picked  often  during  the  height  of  the 
season.     During  the  early  part  of  the  picking  season,  the  patch  should  be  picked 


20 

every  three  or  four  days,  but  when  the  berries  begin  to  ripen  faster,  the  entire 
patch  should  be  picked  each  day.  Berries  should  be  picked  directly  into  the  box 
or  cup  in  which  they  are  sold,  and  should  not  be  handled  by  regrading  or  sorting. 
The  marketable  grades  should  be  picked  directly  into  the  market  packages,  and 
the  soft  fruit  either  picked  into  a  separate  receptacle  or  dropped  on  the  ground. 
Berries  crushed  in  picking  should  not  be  mixed  with  the  sound  fruit.  The  berries 
should  not  be  left  standing  in  the  sun,  but  should  be  placed  in  the  shade,  under 
a  tree,  or  in  the  packing  house.  No  berries  should  be  picked  when  wet  from  rain 
or  fog.  All  fruit  should  be  taken  to  market  or  shipping  station  as  soon  after 
packing  as  possible.     The  use  to  which  the  berries  are  to  be  put  determines  the 


Fig.  13. — Type  of  crate  used  for  shipping  berries. 

U.S.D.A.) 


(Photograph  by  permission 


exact  stage  of  ripeness  at  which  they  should  be  picked.  Generally  speaking, 
raspberries  may  be  used  for  local  or  near-by  markets  when  they  separate  from 
the  "core"  without  crumpling  or  falling  apart.  For  long-distance  shipments 
only  the  firmer  berries  should  be  used,  while  the  softer  grades  are  utilized  for 
canning.  Blackberries,  loganberries  and  other  brambles  in  which  the  berry  does 
not  separate  from  the  core  or  receptacle,  for  long-distance  shipments  must  be 
picked  when  hard  and  firm,  though  well  colored.  Fruit  which  is  somewhat  softer, 
although  not  mushy,  may  be  used  for  local  markets.  The  common  package  for 
marketing  this  class  of  fruits  locally  is  the  twenty-drawer  chest  (fig.  11),  each 
drawer  of  which  holds  two  large  or  six  small  cups  (fig.  12).  Crates  holding 
twenty-four  one-quart  boxes  (fig.  13)  are  universally  used  for  long-distance  ship- 
ments and  also,  to  a  limited  extent,  in  shipping  to  local  markets. 


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Currants  and  Gooseberries. — Currants  are  usually  harvested  in  two  pickings. 
There  is  no  danger  of  the  fruit  becoming  soft  under  ordinary  conditions,  but 
during  a  period  of  hot  weather  injury  from  scalding  often  results.  The  danger 
of  loss  from  this  cause  is  reduced  by  making  two  pickings.  The  fruit  is  in  right 
condition  for  picking  when  all  the  berries  on  the  cluster  are  red.  The  cluster 
should  be  picked  whole,  and  the  berries  not  separated  from  the  stem,  as  when 
the  berries  are  picked  from  the  cluster,  the  entire  package  is  moistened  with  the 
juice  which  escapes  and  decay  quickly  follows.  Gooseberries  are  sometimes  picked 
by  holding  a  portion  of  the  bush  in  a  gloved  hand  and  picking  with  the  bare  hand. 
On  a  large  scale  they  are  picked  by  stripping  the  leaves  and  fruit  into  a  shallow 
box  and  then  removing  the  leaves  by  running  the  entire  picking  through  a  fan- 
ning mill  which  blows  out  the  leaves  and  pieces  of  branches.  As  the  fruit  is 
picked  while  still  hard  and  green,  no  injury  results  from  this  method  of  handling. 

Strawberries. — Strawberries  are  picked  every  day  or  two  throughout  the 
season.  For  long-distance  shipment  the  berries  are  picked  showing  considerable 
green  or  white  color,  and  while  still  very  hard  in  texture.  For  near-by  markets, 
the  fruit  must  be  well-colored  but  still  firm  and  not  mushy.  Berries  must  be 
picked  with  the  calyx  attached  and  preferably  a  short  portion  of  the  stem. 
Strawberries  may  be  il faced"  or  turned  with  the  stem  down  and  the  attractive 
side  uppermost,  but  the  quality  and  size  of  the  fruit  mast  be  the  same  throughout 
the  package.  They  are  marketed  in  the  twenty-drawer  chest  (fig.  11)  or  in 
crates  containing  twenty-four  one-pint  boxes. 

VAEIETIES 

The  following  is  a  brief  description  of  the  principal  varieties  of 
the  different  small  fruits  grown  in  California.  It  is  not  intended  to 
be  a  complete  reference  to  all  varieties  of  small  fruits,  but  simply  a 
short  discussion  of  the  varieties  now  being  grown  or  those  considered 
worthy  of  trial. 

Blackberries 

Lawton. — Bush  sturdy;  erect;  strong  grower;  heavy  producer.  Fruit  is  large, 
black,  sweet  and  of  excellent  quality.  Mid-season.  The  standard  blackberry  in 
California. 

Kittatinny. — Strong  grower;  hardy;  productive.  Fruit  is  large,  glossy  black, 
sweet  and  of  good  quality.     Mid-season  to  late.     Popular. 

Early  Harvest. — Strong  upright  grower;  hardy;  good  producer.  Fruit  is 
medium  to  small,  sweet  and  of  good  quality.  Season  is  early  and  fruit  ripens 
over  long  period.     Susceptible  to  leaf  rust. 

Crandall. — Vigorous;  hardy;  productive;  ripens  fruit  over  long  season.  Fruit 
is  large,  firm  and  sweet.  Season  early.  Very  popular  especially  in  southern  part 
of  state. 

Wilson  Junior. — Hardy;  upright  grower  and  productive.  Fruit  is  large  and 
black.     Season  early. 

Evergreen  (Oregon  Evergreen). — Bush  vigorous;  strong  growing;  drooping; 
perennial.  Fruit  is  large,  firm,  sweet  and  of  good  quality.  Season,  late  to  very 
late.     Worthy  of  trial. 


22 

Mammoth. — Extremely  vigorous;  fairly  hardy;  rapid  grower  and  a  heavy 
producer.  Canes  are  semi-trailing  or  trailing.  Fruit  is  very  large,  long  in  shape, 
black,  sweet,  and  soft  when  fully  ripe.  Very  popular  in  California,  ripening  early 
to  mid-season,  usually  between  the  loganberry  and  the  Lawton. 


Hybrids 

Loganberry. — Canes  are  vigorous,  hardy  and  exceptionally  productive;  trailing 
in  habit,  covered  with  a  large  number  of  rather  small  spines.  Fruit  is  long,  large, 
dark-red  in  color,  sub-acid  in  flavor  and  good  in  quality.  Excellent  for  shipping 
or  canning.     Season  early.     Grown  in  nearly  all  berry  sections  of  California. 

Phenomenal. — A  variety  of  loganberry  very  similar  to  the  original  variety. 
Held  by  some  growers  to  be  indistinguishable  from  the  original  loganberry. 
Vines  are  strong,  vigorous  and  productive.  Fruit  is  large,  long,  red  in  color, 
sub-acid  in  flavor,  larger  than  loganberry  but  softer  in  texture.  Generally  given 
same  culture  as  loganberry. 

Himalaya. — Bush  extremely  vigorous;  very  spiny;  trailing  or  semi-trailing; 
perennial  and  reported  a  heavy  producer.  Fruit  is  roundish  in  form,  medium 
size,  and  juicy.     Season  from  June  to  late  fall. 

Dewberries 

Gardena. — Vigorous  grower;  heavy  producer.  Fruit  is  large,  glossy  black, 
firm,  sweet  and  delicious.     Season  early.     Popular  in  southern  part  of  state. 

Lucretia. — Hardy  and  productive ;  berries  are  large,  sweet,  black  in  color  and 
soft;  said  to  ripen  shortly  after  the  Gardena.     A  general  purpose  variety. 

Red  Raspberries 

Cuthbert. — Hardy;  vigorous  grower,  with  heavy  foliage  which  protects  fruit 
from  sunburn.  A  heavy  and  regular  bearer.  Fruit  is  deep  red  in  color,  large, 
conical,  firm,  separates  readily  from  core  and  is  a  good  shipper.  One  of  the  most 
popular  mid-season  varieties  in  California. 

Hansel. — Vigorous  grower.  Fruit  is  medium  to  large,  and  bright  red.  Sea- 
son early. 

Superlative. — New  variety.  Fruit  is  medium  to  large,  excellent  flavor,  and 
ripens  over  a  long  season. 

Antwerp. — An  old  variety,  not  generally  planted  in  this  state.  Plants  not 
vigorous  except  under  favorable  soil  and  climatic  conditions.  Fruit  is  dark  red, 
firm,  of  excellent  quality  and  a  good  shipper. 

Black  Raspberries 

Gregg. — Plants  are  strong,  hardy  and  productive.  Berries  are  medium  in 
size,  firm  and  sweet.  Mid-season.  The  standard  variety  of  black-caps  for  home 
or  commercial  planting. 

Kansas. — Strong;  vigorous  grower;  hardy  and  productive.  Fruit  is  early  in 
season,  medium  size,  black,  firm  and  of  good  quality. 

Souhegan. — Fruit  is  large,  firm  and  sweet.     Season  early. 


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Currants 

Cherry. — Bush  is  fairly  vigorous,  hardy,  medium  in  size  and  a  good  bearer. 
Fruit  is  large,  bright  red  and  borne  on  rather  stout,  well-filled  bunches.  The 
leading  variety  in  the  central  part  of  the  state.  Somewhat  subject  to  attacks  by 
mildew  and  cane  borers. 

Fay. — A  new  variety,  said  to  bear  more  abundantly  than  the  cherry.  Fruit 
is  said  to  be  less  acid  than  the  former. 

Perfection. — A  new  variety,  grown  very  successfully  in  eastern  currant  dis- 
tricts. Bush  is  vigorous,  healthy,  strong-growing  and  very  productive.  Berries 
are  large,  bright  red,  borne  on  long  well  -filled  bunches,  flavor  acid.  Worthy  of 
trial  in  this  state. 

Pomona. — Bush  is  vigorous,  hardy  and  a  good  producer.  Berries  are  medium 
in  size,  red  and  hang  well  after  ripening. 

White  Grape. — One  of  the  white  varieties.  Manner  of  growth  and  bearing 
same  as  that  of  red  currants.  Does  not  yield  as  heavily  as  red  varieties  and  does 
not  have  the  brisk  acid  flavor  of  the  former.     Grown  principally  for  home  use. 

Gooseberries 

Downing. — Bushes  are  vigorous,  sturdy  and  productive.  Berries  are  medium 
to  large,  oval  in  shape,  smooth,  yellow  sprinkled  with  red  dots  when  ripe.  Flavor 
sweet  and  pleasant  when  fully  ripe.     A  good  market  variety. 

Houghton. — One  of  the  oldest  varieties.  Bushes  are  strong-growing,  long- 
lived  and  productive.  Berries  are  small,  roundish,  dull  red  when  fully  ripe,  skin 
smooth  and  thin.  Eipens  in  advance  of  the  Downing.  Chief  disadvantage  of  this 
variety  is  the  small  size  of  the  berry.     Resistant  to  mildew. 

Champion. — Bush  is  a  strong  grower  and  a  prolific  bearer.  Berries  are  medium 
size,  smooth,  roundish-oval,  sweet  when  fully  "mature.     Resistant  to  mildew. 

Industry. — One  of  the  English  varieties.  Bush  is  vigorous,  upright,  and  a 
good  bearer.    Berries  large  and  dark  red  when  ripe.     Subject  to  mildew. 

Berkeley. — Bush  is  fairly  vigorous  grower  and  good  bearer.  Berries  are  very 
large  and  ripen  early.     An  English  variety  and  subject  to  mildew. 

Strawberries 

Marshall. — Plant  is  vigorous,  healthy  and  a  good  producer  of  new  plants. 
Flower,  perfect.  Fruit  is  medium  to  large,  dark  red,  flesh  somewhat  lighter  in 
color,  firm,  roundish-conic  in  shape.  Grown  in  Fresno  district,  upper  interior 
valleys  and  in  Watsonville  district.     Identical  with  Banner. 

Jessie. — Average  in  size  and  vigor ;  fairly  good  plant  producer ;  good  bearer. 
Flower,  perfect.  Fruit  is  medium  to  below  in  size,  roundish  conic,  dark  red,  flesh, 
red  and  firm.     Grown  in  Fresno  district  and  upper  interior  valleys. 

Gold  Dollar. — Medium  in  size  and  vigor;  erect;  good  plant  maker.  Flower 
perfect.  Fruit,  rather  elongated  conic,  dark  red;  flesh,  somewhat  lighter,  firm. 
Grown  almost  exclusively  in  the  Florin  and  Newcastle  section.  Ripens  early  and 
produces  over  a  long  period. 

Malinda. — Plant  is  inclined  to  be  small;  fair  plant  producer.  Flower,  perfect. 
Fruit  is  small  in  size,  conic  in  shape;  flesh  is  a  dark  red,  firm  and  has  a  firm 
core.     Grown,  with  others,  in  Pajaro  Valley. 


24 

Oregon. — Plant  is  medium  in  size,  vigorous,  erect,  good  plant  maker  and  a 
heavy  producer.  Flower,  perfect.  Fruit,  medium  to  large,  broad  conic,  dark 
red;  flesh,  medium  red  and  inclined  to  be  soft.  Popular  in  Pajaro  and  Santa 
Clara  valleys,  and  in  the  Sebastopol  section. 

Klondike. — Vigorous  and  fairly  good  plant  maker;  fair  producer.  Flower 
perfect.  Fruit  is  of  fair  size,  roundish,  dark  red,  firm  and  a  good  shipper. 
Largely  planted  in  region  around  Los  Angeles. 

NicTc  Ohmer. — Medium  in  size  and  vigor;  is  a  fair  producer  and  plant  maker. 
Flower,  perfect.  Fruit  is  medium  in  size,  roundish-conic,  medium  red  and  soft. 
Grown  in  districts  adjacent  to  San  Francisco. 

Brandywine. — Medium  in  size,  compact,  a  fair  producer  and  plant  maker. 
Flower,  perfect.  Fruit  conic  in  shape,  light  to  medium  red  and  firm  and  a  good 
shipping  variety.  Season  is  medium  to  late.  Largely  grown  in  Los  Angeles 
section. 

Excelsior. — Vigorous;  a  medium  producer  and  a  good  plant  producer.  Flower, 
perfect.  Fruit  is  medium  in  size,  conic,  medium  red  and  firm.  Grown  in  Los 
Angeles  section.     Sharply  acid  in  flavor  but  very  early. 

Arizona. — A  good  plant  maker;  fairly  vigorous;  a  fair  producer  and  drouth 
resistant.  Flower,  perfect.  Fruit  is  medium  in  size,  conic,  compressed,  dark  red 
and  firm. 

Ettersburg  Varieties. — Ettersburg  nos.  80,  89,  and  121,  as  grown  at  the  Uni- 
versity Farm  at  Davis,  have  proved  themselves  to  be  extremely  vigorous,  upright 
or  erect,  good  plant  makers.  Have  not  been  tried  sufficiently  for  making  any 
recommendations. 


